Rowan Freemaker has come a long way since we first met him in LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures Season One. Back then, he was but a learner – since then he has come far with his training, emerging as the last ‘Force Builder’. Early in Season Two, a vision reveals to him a ship that can turn the tide of the Galactic Civil War, immortalised in bricks here as 75186 The Arrowhead. This sits as one of two sets based on the show’s new season, the other being 75185 Tracker I.

Sets based on LEGO Star Wars animated content have proven to be hit or miss over the years, with Season One’s 75147 StarScavenger a disappointment for many. With a sleeker design, The Arrowhead may offer something more appealing to LEGO fans.

If you, or a child living in your home enjoys LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures – inparticular the characters that makeup the namesake family – you will want this set and find no lack of quality to diminish your enjoyment. If you do not, and are not saddled with the burden of being a Star Wars completist, nothing about 75186 makes it a ‘must have’… with one possible exception.

While not a glowing endorsement, that conclusion places 75186 squarely in the running with other sets based on LEGO Star Wars animation. Since none of the ships appear in the main Star Wars canon, there is no nostalgia or familiarity to draw from. These sets are all about the homegrown characters like the Freemakers and Jek-14 before them.

If minifigures are the point of this set, it delivers. Kordi and Zander, the eldest siblings of the Freemaker clan, sport new outfits reflecting their Season Two induction into the Rebel Alliance. Roger is exactly the same as his previous version, unfortunately still without his printed back tile. The Stormtrooper, while always welcome, has appeared elsewhere.

The secret weapon of this set, that might increase its appeal beyond Freemaker fans to the larger Star Wars collectors pool, is the inclusion of Quarrie. While this Mon Calamarian has yet to make a film debut, fans of Star Wars Rebels will recognise him as the creator of the B-Wing prototype flown by Hera. To date this is his only appearance in minifigure form.

The Arrowhead itself harks back to some of the Classic Space sets of old. Its construction profile is flat with a large cockpit and basic shape, reminiscent of the designs that the LEGO Group employed in the 1980s – albeit with modern, sleeker pieces. This is surely intentional, as the series is always careful to incorporate LEGO building into its DNA. The finished ship is eminently swooshable and has a fairly appealing colour scheme.

Designers appear to have learned from past sins as The Arrowhead does not repeat the mistakes of its predecessor, the StarScavenger. The scale of the craft is much closer to what appears onscreen, its cockpit and quarters are more air tight – overall it is a much prettier ship to look at. Children who want to re-create or imagine their own Freemaker Adventures will need little more than this set – well, maybe Tracker I as well – to make their dreams come true.

That said, The Arrowhead has two drawbacks. The first is that the nose mechanism is slightly disappointing. On the show it serves as the focal point of the ship’s power. A small knob allows it to turn as shown in the TV series, but it cannot fully recess into the front of the ship. The slight bit it sticks up breaks the profile and makes the ship look slightly unfinished.

Additionally, at 775 parts, the price point feels a bit steep. While certainly sturdy it does not feel big enough for the cost – at least with last year’s 75174 StarScavenger, the price was right. The set has a lot of competition in the LEGO Star Wars range at this price, meaning fans and children will have to make hard decisions about which of these larger sets to pick up.

If you or someone in your house loves LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, this set will be a winner. If you have not watched the show – and why not? it’s delightful – you will find this easier to skip, unless you have a deep desire to own Quarrie from Star Wars Rebels.